Microsoft Hits 7th in Trading Volume with $9.63B as Cloud Growth and Automotive Partnerships Fuel Activity

On September 18, 2025, Microsoft (MSFT) traded with a volume of $9.63 billion, ranking seventh in market activity. The stock closed down 0.31% amid mixed investor sentiment.

Recent developments highlight evolving dynamics in Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure segment. Reports indicate ongoing capacity expansion at Azure data centers in North America, with new facilities expected to come online by late 2026. This follows increased demand from enterprise clients seeking AI-driven solutions, though analysts note potential near-term margin pressures from accelerated capital expenditures.

Strategic partnerships remain a focal point. A multi-year agreement with a major automotive manufacturer was disclosed, granting Microsoft access to vehicle telemetry data for AI training purposes. The collaboration could expand Azure’s footprint in the connected mobility sector but faces regulatory scrutiny in the EU over data privacy concerns.

Technical indicators show bearish divergence in short-term momentum metrics. The 20-day relative strength index (RSI) has fallen below 50, aligning with broader market volatility. Institutional positioning data suggests reduced net long exposure compared to mid-2025, though the stock remains within key support levels established since the first quarter.

To back-test this idea rigorously I need to pin down a few implementation details and make sure we’re on the same page about how the trade list is formed every day: 1. Stock universe • Should I consider all primary-listed U.S. common shares (≈ 4 000 tickers) or a narrower universe such as the Russell 3000 or S&P 500 constituents? • If you have a specific exchange or country in mind, please let me know. 2. Ranking rule (daily trading volume) • Do you want to use the prior day’s dollar volume or share volume? • Intraday data is not available, so the ranking would be done after the market close, with trades executed at the next open (T + 1). Is that acceptable? 3. Portfolio construction • Weighting scheme: equal-weight the 500 selected names each day, or weight in proportion to volume? • Position sizing: invest the full notional every day (i.e., 100 % long) with daily re-balancing? 4. Transaction assumptions • Any commission, slippage or short-sale constraints to include? (Even if they’re zero, we should state that explicitly.) 5. Benchmark (optional) • Should we compare performance against SPY, an equal-weight index, or simply report standalone returns? Once these items are confirmed I’ll prepare the data-retrieval workflow and run the back-test from 2022-01-01 to today.